The Lost Promise
by ReunitedLight
Summary: The Lost Twenty are remembered with regret among the Jedi, their busts along the First Hall of the Jedi Archives. And they wondered who the twenty-first would be. Oneshot, content from Rebels and The Clone Wars. If you enjoyed Ahsoka and Vader in Twilight of the Apprentice, then this is for you.


He nearly cried the day she left.

He turned around, walked back up the stairs, and into his quarters.

 _He was visiting the Jedi Archives with his new Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. It was one of his first few visits there, on an assignment he couldn't remember. He looked up, and stared up at one of the bronzium busts that lined the hall. It was of a bearded man. "Why are all of these busts here, Master?" he questioned._

 _Obi-Wan looked down at him with a melancholy expression, hesitating for a moment, before replying, "Each bronzium bust represents a Jedi who left the Order. Until recently, they were called The Lost. Around the time that you joined the Order, a twentieth Jedi left. This is him," Obi-Wan explained, beckoning to the bust. "His name is Dooku, he was Qui-Gon's Jedi Master. The Lost Twenty taught us that sometimes even the Jedi Order cannot provide what a few individuals seek out in life."_

 _Anakin looked surprised, but he nodded. "And only twenty Jedi have ever left the Order? What about the Padawans?"_

 _Obi-Wan sighed and shrugged. "We do not have an accurate account of how many Padawans left the Order. But yes, Anakin, only twenty Jedi have left. And we hope that no more will leave in the near future."_

" _What about-"_

" _Let us move on," Obi-Wan interrupted. "We can talk more about the Lost Twenty when we are in a more private place. The Jedi do not like to mention these twenty a lot, especially since Dooku left very recently. And we have an assignment to complete."_

 _Anakin obeyed and followed his Master into another room._

Ever since, Anakin had always wondered why Jedi did not count Padawans as members of the Lost Twenty. Every time he visited the Archives Anakin was struck with questions as he passed the busts. As time flew, and as his thoughts moved onto topics more important Anakin soon forgot about the Lost Twenty.

When he got married with Padmé Amidala these thoughts resurfaced again. Anakin was now a Jedi Knight, and wondered if he had the strength to leave the Order so that he could start a family with his wife. But that wasn't an optimal choice, as both of their lives were greatly influenced by their careers.

He completely understood Ahsoka's choice. What he couldn't understand was how the Jedi Council was acting, barely apologizing to her. _They should have gotten on their knees and_ begged _for her to come back!_ He thought angrily. _Instead of just making up some excuse about how it was her great trial._

And Dooku was a Sith Lord now, and he had cut off Anakin's right arm when the Clone Wars began.

He wished Ahsoka had completed her training, but she'd been destroyed because of the Jedi. Anakin had promised that he would never let anyone hurt her, and that was exactly what happened. But the least she deserved was to be remembered along with those busts of the Lost Twenty, and make them the Lost Twenty-One. Anakin was a fool to think that would happen. And everyone secretly wondered who would be brave enough to really become the twenty-first. So he continued to be the heroic Jedi that the Republic loved and worshipped.

He had failed Ahsoka. He'd talked to Obi-Wan about it, but Obi-Wan didn't understand. Anakin would never fail Obi-Wan, and they both knew that. But he had still failed Ahsoka.

And that fact continued to weigh down on his heart.

* * *

" _If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny…"_

* * *

Ahsoka always wondered if there was anyone who became the twenty-first after she left the Jedi Order. The Order was gone, of course. There was a chance that Anakin had, but there was a part of her that would never believe it until she got to see the man under the mask herself. Sometimes she considered herself the twenty-first. It was selfish, she knew, but she couldn't help thinking that she deserved better.

She ran up, jumped onto him, and slashed with her now white lightsabers. She didn't watch as he fell to the ground.

She waited and recovered, and heard the mechanical voice call out her name for the first time.

"Ahsoka."

Her blue eyes widened, and she turned around.

His eyepiece was gone, his helmet cut open, but she didn't notice the details. All she saw was his eye. The skin on his face was scarred, and his eye was glowing yellow, but it was _Anakin_ 's eye all the same. "Ahsoka," he said again, this time the voice she knew coming out of the damaged vocabulator.

She remembered his promise.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

She uttered her own, one she'd been wishing to say ever since she'd left. She didn't hear herself saying it, because _his_ promise echoed in her mind.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

They stood and stared at each other, the sound of his harsh and labored breathing concealing the little bit of good that Ahsoka could feel inside of him.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

He ignited his lightsaber. "Then you will die," he stated, every word breaking her apart piece by piece.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

They fought, and then the temple exploded. She smiled sadly as they were blown away from each other.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

He didn't stay to see whether she had survived, and started to limp away.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

He remembered his promise, and it started to echo painfully in his mind.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

He looked behind himself to see both of the Jedi who had become the twenty-first disappear into the temple. They had finally answered their question.

" _I would never let anyone hurt you, Ahsoka. Never."_

And he could just imagine their busts staring across the hall at each other, where they could learn together, forever.

" _Thank you, Master."_

That thought made him feel like he had finished her training.

" _You're welcome, my Padawan."_

And for a moment, it gave him a sense of peace.


End file.
